"Ah... There you are. For a moment I thought we'd lost you."

Dick opens sluggish eyes and it takes him a second to realize the words were directed at him. His head is swimming though he can't really move it, from what he can gather, it's trapped to some sort of medieval contraption.

He's not hurting, but he's pretty sure that could change in a blink of an eye.

"I must apologize for your current situation, but you and I both know you wouldn't be cooperative otherwise."

There is no need to see who's talking to him, he knows that voice, but she comes into view nonetheless.

Talia. Dick tries to snarl her name, but the contraption keeps his jaw locked. She smiles.

"Is that look supposed to scare me? Can't we be civil about this? It would be simpler for us all."

She looks older, but not nearly enough as she should have. Dick guesses that having an endless amount of money combined with cutting edge technology might've contributed for that, it doesn't make him any less annoyed that she's still so beautiful.

Another figure stepped in, taller than Talia. Dick strained his still bleary eyes to see more and was greeted with bare feet, black lounge pants and a white undershirt. The head was covered by a towel as if the guy had just stepped out of a shower and was drying his hair.

Talia shot the newcomer a dirty look and hissed through clenched teeth "We have a guest."

The guy let the towel hang around his neck and barely sparred Dick a glance "Another one, mother? You're burning through them rather quickly."

Dick would be gaping if not for the whatever trapping him. Mother. The guy was Damian.

"He is not mine, beloved. Out guest is here for other purposes."

Somewhere in Dick's mind, he was aware that Talia was talking to him now, maybe even threatening him, but he was way too busy staring at Damian.

The kid – because Dick couldn't think of him in a different way, even when he was that freaking tall – fell seated on a chair by the table behind Talia and began plucking grapes into his mouth, detached and bored.

His hair was longer than Dick remembered it ever being, his shoulders were broad and though he was obviously strong, he was surprisingly lean. His face was a whole different deal, made of a perfect blend of Talia and Bruce's best features. It was mesmerizing trying to pick them apart, Dick thought he could spend a week just checking things off an imaginary list – Talia's eyes, check. Bruce's eye color, check. Talia's skin, check. Bruce's build, check.

Dick was wondering if Talia planned for that, if it was somehow the product of her engineering when her words finally made their way to his brain "… though I don't really approve of your… origin per say, you will undoubtedly be an excellent pet."

Oh, he should've listened. He blinked and kinda hoped she decided to explain that last part again. No such luck.

"I have no desire for a pet, mother." Damian stated resolute, even if his whole demeanor stayed the same.

Talia threaded her fingers through his hair just before she yanked his head back so they could look at each other. "It is a present, my darling."

"Thank you, mother." Damian said with no inflection at all, it was incredibly condescending "May I leave now?" he swatted her hand away with ease and stood without waiting for an answer.

"Take your pet with you."

Dick thought of Titus instantly, then realized that the thing stuck to his head came all the way down to his shoulders – for him to look around, he had to turn his whole body – and the thing Talia was offering Damian now was a leash that sprung out of his neck. He wanted to be worried, but this situation was so far beyond his comprehension that it left him feeling numb.

"I do not want a pet. Do as you please with him."

"Do you even recognize him?"

Damian gazed at Dick and took a deep breath, the words fell mechanically from his lips "Richard John Grayson, orphaned at the age of eight, parents killed by a mobster named Tony Zucco. First Robin, current Nightwing. He sometimes stands in for Batman if necessary. Shall I recite his date of birth and favorite color too? I know who this is, mother. I simply have no interest in either of you."

It gave Dick a sick feeling hearing Damian stating facts about his life so coolly. He hadn't seen Damian since Talia revealed herself as Leviathan's head and demanded her son back. Bruce seeing no other way to stop her – and talking about a crazy dream where Gotham was destroyed – actually conceded. Talia disappeared completely after that, still handling her operation, but never getting involved directly.

They looked for Damian everywhere.

"You shouldn't refuse gifts, child." Talia's voice – sickly sweet – cut through Dick reminiscence "The consequences are just not worth the trouble, don't you think so?"

Damian rubbed his eyes with his thumb and forefinger, looking suddenly tired, like he had just about enough of Talia's bullshit, but then he said "Does he still talk? Or have you fixed that?"

"Stop saying nonsense, beloved. Would I give you a defective pet?" she pushed the leash into his hands.

Damian stared at it with the same blank expression he'd been carrying since he came in and gave it a light tug "Come." Dick didn't move, unable to believe Damian was really going with this. The next tug was stronger "Come."

A/N.: This was supposed to be waaaaay darker than it ended up being.

I wanted Damian to be all evil and mean and Dick to be kind of a damsel in distress, but it turns out that I can't write completely evil Damian.

I hope you guys can still give it a chance.

Reviews are highly apreciated